


Yeonderella

by MOARMY_DP



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Cinderella Elements, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Side Ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:27:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27543076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MOARMY_DP/pseuds/MOARMY_DP
Summary: Yeonbin as a modern Cinderella story.Soobin, the son of a famous CEO and Yeonjun meet by chance at a charity banquet ball.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Comments: 9
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

╰☆☆ Prologue ☆☆╮

Yeonjun can confidently say that up until his 8th year, he had a great childhood. 

He had a nice house, good friends and a loving family he could rely on. He didn't have any siblings but his two best friends Beomgyu and Taehyun were more than enough. He couldn't ask for anything else. In Yeonjun's eyes everything was more than perfect. 

However, just a few weeks before his 8th birthday, things started to take a turn in the wrong direction. His mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. They didn't tell Yeonjun much, all he knew was that it had spread to both her lungs, and she was going to need chemotherapy. Tragically, she didn't make it through chemo and passed away hours later. 

All Yeonjun had to remember her by was a locket and her last few words to him before she went in for chemo, "Yeonjun, no matter what happens, I want you to remember to always be strong, stay kind, and no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you. Even if I'm not there physically, I'm there." Sometimes he would wonder if his mom knew she was going to die and wanted to reassure him that everything would be okay once she's gone. 

Regardless of whether she knew or not, Yeonjun lived by his mother’s last words. 

For years following, Yeonjun and his father, Daehyun, had no one but their few close friends and each other. 

Daehyun wouldn't be home as often as he used to, and whenever he did get home, he was clearly exhausted, but despite that he was still every bit of the amazing and supportive dad he was before. Yeonjun knew this and he was very grateful to have such an amazing dad, but he felt like he had to help his dad somehow. He wanted to help his dad. So, he worked hard to do things on his own and tried to avoid asking his dad for help too often. He knows he's a busy man. 

Yeonjun learned independence and responsibility early on in his life. 

꧁LINE BREAK꧂

Daehyun noticed how much Yeonjun has matured since his mother's passing and while a part of him was proud of his son, another part was a bit dismayed that Yeonjun was forced to grow up so fast. 

It's been almost four years since Jisoo passed away and Daehyun thinks it's time for him to move on, for Yeonjun's sake. The boy needs a mother figure in his life, and while Daehyun tries his best, he still feels like it isn't enough. Yeonjun spends most of his time home alone and that's not healthy for any child, especially not one as young or as social as Yeonjun. 

These thoughts have been plaguing him for a while now. He didn't feel like he needed a new woman in his life, but Yeonjun needed a mother figure, he deserved one after all he's been through. 

He'd been seeing someone for a few months now, and she seemed nice, but the memory of his wife always stopped him from really developing an interest in anyone. After all, no one could replace his beloved Jisoo. But seeing Yeonjun growing so fast finally pushed him to do it. He wanted Yeonjun to at least get some of his childhood back. 

꧁LINE BREAK꧂

A week after Yeonjun's 12th birthday, Daehyun sat Yeonjun down and told him something that turned Yeonjun’s whole world upside down. 

"And, she's an excellent mother. She has two sons of her own, you'd have brothers. Isn't that great! You've always wanted siblings." 

"Yeah…" No. 

Yeonjun knew his dad meant well and he didn't want him to be unhappy, but something inside him screamed in protest. No one could replace his mom. 

As if his dad could read his mind, he put a hand on Yeonjun's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. 

"Yeonjun. You know no one will ever replace your mom. Jisoo is one of a kind and no one could ever replace her, but Haewon is a good person and I know she'll be a good mother figure for you." 

Yeonjun didn't want a new mother figure, he was happy with the way things were with just him and his dad. He didn't say this to his dad, of course. His dad has done so much for him already, if this Haewon lady makes him happy, then he could try to get along with them all. So Yeonjun put his feelings aside and instead of whining protests like he so desperately wanted to, he smiled warmly at his dad and consented, congratulating him on finding someone as amazing as Haewon sounded to be. 

꧁LINE BREAK꧂

She only sounded amazing. Yeonjun learned that fairly quickly. 

His new stepmother, Haewon was it? Who cares. She arrived at their home only a few weeks after their wedding. Yeonjun didn't have the chance to meet her during the wedding, not that he tried. However, he did get the displeasure of meeting his new step brothers at the dessert table. Needless to say he didn't like them. 

He had only officially met Haewon once she moved in, and from the few interactions they've had, he can tell she doesn't care for him. She was beautiful, as his father had said, and so were her sons, as much as he'd hate to admit, but that beauty was only the surface. 

He had only known them for a few short weeks, but in that short time, it was apparent that she was a conceited and greedy person with a sour attitude, and her sons were just like her. He doubts they ever worked a day in their lives. 

He'll give them one thing though, they were excellent actors. Always on their best behavior when his father was around. They reminded him of sour patches, sour one second and sweet the next. Of course it was all fake. 

Haewon herself had never actually done anything to Yeonjun, but there was something so cold and almost emotionless in her eyes that made Yeonjun a little uneasy. They were nothing like the kind and soft eyes of his mother. Looking at her, Yeonjun couldn't help but wonder what his father saw in such a cold and sharp looking woman. 

It wasn't long before they were making changes to everything in Yeonjun's house. New curtains, new rugs, new furniture, new everything. They were never satisfied. Yeonjun wanted nothing more but to scream and kick them out of his house, but instead he held his tongue and showed them respect and kindness, like his mother would have wanted. It was challenging, but he was doing it for his parents. At least he wasn't totally alone, he still had his dad with him. They had less time to spend together, but they cherished every moment they had with each other. 

꧁LINE BREAK꧂

That time was cut shorter than expected, because just two years after his remarriage Daehyun died in a car accident on his way to work. They had just seen each other earlier in the day, his father had woken up Yeonjun, who had slept through his alarm like every morning and told him to get moving, patting his butt and earning a whine in protest. It was normal. It was routine. It was a constant Yeonjun has always had in his life. 

He wasn't supposed to get called to the office. He wasn't supposed to see the police there waiting for him along with his weeping stepmother and brooding step brothers. None of this should have happened. He was going to go home and wait for him in his study. Like he always did. That was routine. That was normal. 

But this time when he went home to sit in his father's study, he wouldn’t be coming home. 

The realization that settled in shattered Yeonjun's whole world to pieces.


	2. Chapter 2

╰☆☆ Chapter One ☆☆╮

English 

**_Korean_ **

The days, weeks, months after his father's passing blurred together. One moment he was crying in his room, the next he was being forced to move into the attic so that his step-brother could have his room. Haewon's true colors shone from that day forward. Everything Yeonjun had was moved to the attic and the house was remodeled to fit Haewon's style. And since Yeonjun's dad didn't leave a will, his stepmother got everything, the house, the cars, Daehyun's business, and Yeonjun. How did he go from having everything to this? 

꧁LINE BREAK꧂

**3 years Later**

Yeonjun danced across his imaginary stage in and out of clothing aisles, setting up the newest boxes of clothes as he sang along to one of his favorite songs without a care in the world. 

" ** _Give me your hand_** save me save me~"

"Yeonjun!" 

"I need your love before I fall, fall-"

"Yeonjun!" Haewon shouted

Haewon's irate face suddenly filled Yeonjun's vision, vanishing the cheering audience and imaginary stage with her knitted brows and tight lips. 

"How can I run a business when you can't be bothered to do your job?" Haewon spat brows knitting close enough to form a unibrow which would have been funny if Yeonjun wasn't on the receiving end of it. 

"I'm sorry Haewon, it won't happen again," Yeonjun apologized, bowing at almost 90 degrees. 

"I know it won't," Haewon replied icily, schooling her features into a more cool and composed look. "You know there are people out there who would kill for this job? Get this box unpacked and put up on display now or you're grounded for a month." She ordered, thrusting a box into Yeonjun's arms. 

"And don't forget your brothers have a football meeting tomorrow after practice and we're hosting it, so make sure the living room and the kitchen are spotless by then. Oh, and fetch me an Evian bottle before you get to work on those. That'll be all. Shoo." Haewon waved her hand in his face and turned her back on him. 

Balancing the box on his hip, Yeonjun went to get the lady her precious Evian water. Honestly, what was the difference between an Evian bottle and a regular store brand bottle? Who knows nor cares. 

There was an Evian bottle right on top of the cooler so Yeonjun didn't have to dig for one. Great, the sooner he got her her bottle, the sooner he could get to work and leave. 

"Thanks for the water bottle Yeonjun." Jaehyuck snatched the bottle right out of Yeonjun's hand. "I am a bit thirsty," Jaehyuck mocked. 

Gritting his teeth Yeonjun replied in a sickly sweet voice "No problem Jae. It was my pleasure," then turned to get another bottle from the cooler, balancing the box a little higher on his hip as it started to slip. 

"Thanks for the water," Wooseok thanked mimicking Jaehyuck's actions and taking the water bottle Yeonjun just got, right from his hand. 

"...No problem," Yeonjun ground out, biting back the urge to throw the box he's carrying onto their heads. Going back for another Evian water bottle, Yeonjun internally curses his luck, 'Shit, don't tell me there's no more fucking Evian bottles.' Putting the box he's carrying down for a moment, Yeonjun digs in deeper with both arms for the 'queen's' Evian bottle. 'Ugh, why can't she just have a regular water bottle like everyone else?' Yeonjun groaned, digging around even further. The ice water started to slip through his jacket's sleeves the further he dug. 

"Whoops," Yeonjun snapped his head towards his step brothers and found the box he had just put down toppled over by Jaehyuck's feet. "Oooh, you really shouldn't be leaving boxes just lying around there." Jaehyuck gasped, putting a hand on his mouth, not even bothering hiding his smile. 

"Yeah, you never know what could happen to them," Wooseok added, 'carelessly' waving his arm with the open water bottle towards the box of shoes on the ground and spilling water all over it. "Oh no!" He gasped, 'dropping' his water bottle on the box. "My bad," he chirped

"Shit-" Yeonjun cursed, dropping on his knees and quickly trying to dry out the designer shoes with his jacket. "Are you fucking kidding me you stupid-," he muttered under his breath wiping furiously at all wet shoes and putting them back in the now damp box. 

"Oh, my goodness." Wooseok exclaimed, "I'm so sorry about that," he apologized, feigning guilt. "I would love to help you out, except that's not my job," he said dropping the act and cackling unflatteringly with Jaehyuck joining in shortly after. 

"Hmm." Yeonjun hummed putting the remainder of the shoes away and getting on his feet. "It's okay," Yeonjun replied sweetly, balancing the box of shoes on his hip again, "it's not like you could do it well anyway," he retorted, smiling innocently at the two whose mouths were now hanging agape. 

"What did you-" 

Wooseok's threats were cut short by Haewon's sharp, shrill voice, "Yeonjun! Where is my water?!" 

"Coming!" Yeonjun chirped sweetly, snatching the sealed Evian bottle from Jaehyuck's hand and merrily skipping away, box still balancing on his hip.

꧁LINE BREAK꧂

Finally, after a long day of work, Yeonjun was glad to be back in his room again. He plopped himself down on his springy, old mattress with a huff and relaxed his muscles a bit before opening his eyes. Dull glow in the dark star stickers in the shape of constellations greeted him. They didn't shine quite as magically now as they did when he was a kid, but they were still as beautiful as before. 

He was six years old when he first got them. Yeonjun could still remember that day exactly even if it was 11 years ago. 

He was six years old and still afraid of the dark. He would sneak into his parents' room and snuggle himself in between them every night. 

Flashback

_"Oh my!" Jisoo gasped in mock surprise, "What is this?" She asked the small bundle between her and her husband. "Did you magically teleport yourself here overnight?" she asked playfully, lovingly running her long slender fingers through Yeonjun's messy hair._

_Yeonjun giggled at his mommy's surprised face. "No!" He cried happily "I came here myself!" He proclaimed proudly pushing his chest out a bit. He found his mommy's astonishment every morning very funny._

_"Oh did you?" his dad asked from beside him._

_"Uh huh." Yeonjun confirmed, nodding his little head rapidly and sending strands of hair flying in every direction._

_His dad smiled fondly at the action. "And why is that Yeonjun?" his dad inquired, tilting his head to the side and mimicking Yeonjun's lost kitten look._

_"Because." Yeonjun answered pouting._

_"What is it baby?" his mom asked, gently placing her arm around Yeonjun and hugging him closer._

_Yeonjun let out a long loud exhale._

_"Don't you like your room, Junnie?" his dad asked him kindly._

_"I do!" Yeonjun exclaimed loudly, shooting upright and nodding his head aggressively._

_"Okay, okay." his parents laughed, holding his shoulders to keep him still. "We believe you." his dad laughed._

_Yeonjun slumped back into his mother's hold relieved. "Good." he breathed. He didn't want another room, farther from his parents. No, thank you._

_"Then what is bud? Monsters under your bed?" his dad asked._

_"No… I don't think so." Yeonjun muttered, although now he wasn't so sure._

_His mom smacked his dad over the head._

_"Of course not." Jisoo amended. "Everyone knows there's no such thing as monsters." she assured Yeonjun, patting him gently on the head and flattening some of his messy hair down._

_"Oh yeah," Daehyun quickly agreed, "only joking." he said smiling widely. "So what is it, our little fox?"_

_Yeonjun beamed at the nickname, then frowned as he told them what has been troubling him. "Well," Yeonjun murmured, biting his bottom lip in an attempt to hide his pout. "It's just… that… imafraidofthedark." Yeonjun whispered quickly, rushing towards the end._

_"Huh?" his parents chorused sporting matching looks of confusion._

_"Ugh…" Yeonjun groaned, hiding his reddening face under the covers. "I'm afraid of the dark." he repeated louder and despite it being muffled by the blanket he was hiding under, his parents' heard him clearly._

_"Awww, Junnie you're afraid of the dark?" Daehyun cooed, tickling Yeonjun's side trying to get him to come out from under the covers._

_Yeonjun shrieked, throwing himself back onto the pillows and kicking at the air as Daehyun continued his tickling assault._

_"Aww, it's okay baby." Daehyun continued to coo as he tried to wrestle the blanket out of Yeonjun's arms with one arm and tickle him with the other._

_"Daddy, stop it!" Yeonjun squealed, kicking blindly at his daddy as he held onto the blanket for dear life._

_"Aww, why?" his dad pouted, though the sparkle in his eyes still gleamed in mischief. "But you're so cute." his dad added attacking him with more tickles._

_"Uh hum" Jisoo coughed, smiling crookedly at them with her hands behind her back, mirth filling her eyes. "As adorable as this is," she announced mirthfully. "I think I have a solution to your problem Yeonjunnie." she declared cheerfully._

_Yeonjun threw the covers off in a flash and sprinted towards his mommy. "Really?!" he squealed, hopping up and down on his tippy toes. "What?! What?!" he cried out repeatedly._

_"How about," his mom asked, smirking slightly as she pulled out what she had been hiding behind her back. "Glow in the dark stars?!" she proclaimed throwing her arm up and smiling widely._

_"Wow." Yeonjun whispered in awe._

_"Great idea honey." Daehyun praised, clapping at his wife's idea._

_Jisoo with the help of Daehyun created a beautiful sky full of stars and constellations on the ceiling of Yeonjun's old room that glowed bright green. She even made the constellations of all their zodiac signs and put them together in a heart shaped by some of the extra stars. A reminder that they would always be together._

From then on whenever Yeonjun felt nervous or scared, he'd look up at the stars and remember that day with his parents. 

He even recreated the constellations his mom and dad put on the ceiling of his old room in the new one he was forced to move into when his dad died. 

The stars were faded but still held strong for all these years. They reminded Yeonjun a bit of himself. Faded and used, but still going. 

Lean On Me blasted through the speakers by Yeonjun's ear, ripping him out of his memories with a jolt. 

"Ow," Yeonjun whined, rubbing his ear before checking the ID caller. A joint call by Taehyun and Beomgyu. Yeonjun instantly perked up at that, answering the call immediately, "Hello." 

꧁LINE BREAK꧂

"What do you mean you can't go?" Taehyun questioned, voice rising an octave. "Your shift ended an hour ago. Don't tell me you're working overtime?" he chided, ready to lecture Yeonjun on his health again. 

Yeonjun winced, he was glad Taehyun couldn't see it.

"No!" Yeonjun answered immediately, mentally slapping himself for answering so quickly, but pressed on hurriedly before Taehyun could start on one of his lectures, "Haewon has me setting up the living room and the kitchen for dumb and dumber's football meeting tomorrow. So-" 

"So, just leave it for tomorrow." Taehyun argued, raising an eyebrow at Yeonjun's quick response, but choosing to ignore it. "The living room will be there when you get back." 

Yeonjun's jaw nearly dropped at that. 

"Taehyun, is that really you?" Yeonjun asked incredulously, grinning a bit. 

Yeonjun could practically see Taehyun rolling his eyes.

"Come on! Ditch your chores for a few hours and hang with us. We haven't seen you outside of school since last month!" Beomgyu whined loudly over the speakers. 

"I know. I know." Yeonjun placated quickly already expecting this. "And I will hang out with you guys. Just not now." Yeonjun replied with difficulty. Although he wanted to. He really wanted to. With his homework, chores, scholarship hunting and all the extra work Haewon has been giving him lately, he's barely had time to breathe. He missed being with his friends and just relaxing. 

"I still don't understand why you tolerate these assholes," Beomgyu fumed, clenching his jaw and pulling his plushie close to him for comfort. "You know damn well if that were me-"

"We know Beomgyu. We know." Taehyun said, cutting off Beomgyu's rant before it had the chance to start. 

"You only say it, every single time, after all." Yeonjun added playfully. Laughing at his friend's antics. Beomgyu's habit of ranting nonstop about the things that annoy him is something that will never change. 

"And I'll say it again!" Beomgyu proclaimed loudly, banging his hand on his desk and dropping some things. "Oh- shit…" he muttered through the speaker, bending down and picking up what he dropped. 

"Anyway," Taehyun continued like nothing happened. "I say you ignore her and come hang out with us at the mall." 

"And I second that!" Beomgyu's muffled voice exclaimed, siding with Taehyun. 

As tempting as that sounded, Yeonjun knew better than to try anything like that while he was still living under the same roof as his stepfamily and working for his stepmother. He'd have to wait until after college to be totally free of them, so until then he had to play nice. There's no point in making life harder for himself. 

"Tempting…" Yeonjun mused, "but I can't." 

"Why not?" Taehyun coaxed. "It's not like she'll even notice. The place is already relatively clean and she's never even there anyway. She'll never see the difference." 

"Taehyun's got a point." Beomgyu chirped in, clearly this time.

"I know I do." Taehyun stated matter-of-factly, nodding to himself. 

Yeonjun snorted at that, shaking his head. "Guys, I appreciate the effort, but I won't be going anywhere for awhile if I don't get this done." 

The last time Yeonjun left without doing as Haewon ordered, it had been a disaster that resulted in them losing a client. Needless to say Haewon was livid about it, and she made sure Yeonjun felt that rage through all the extra chores she gave him as well as the 'privileges' he lost that week due to his 'defiance,' aka his phone and access with the outside world that wasn't school or work related. Those days were pure torture, and Yeonjun knows better than to try that again. 

"Then do it after we hang out." Taehyun tried again, "We won't take long, besides you just got back from work, give yourself a break. You know you want it~" Taehyun pushed, singing the last part in a teasing way. 

"Hmm…" After having to deal with his stepfamily at work today, the idea of just leaving it all for later did sound appealing, but… "I can't." Yeonjun stood firm to his resolve, although he was crying inside. 

"Ugh. Yeonjun, I swear- We will go over there and abduct you ourselves if we have to." Beomgyu threatened standing up and dropping his chair this time, but he ignored it. 

Yeonjun snorted, he knew Beomgyu was only joking, but he wouldn't put it past him to do something like that. 

"And do you really want that?" Taehyun joined in, grinning mischievously. 

"Taehyun, not you too!" Yeonjun exclaimed in mock horror, placing a hand on his heart and falling back dramatically on his pillows. 

"I'm sorry Yeonjun," Taehyun croaked in mock seriousness, stifling his giggles, "but I'm on Beomgyu's side on this." He sniffled, coughing to hide a chuckle that was threatening to escape. 

"We have you two to one now Yeonjun. It's best you surrender now before Taehyun and I get arrested for kidnapping." Beomgyu continued, adding a few fake sniffles for good measure.

Yeonjun cracked up at that, clutching his stomach in pain from laughing so hard. 

Even when he was feeling down, his friends always managed to cheer him up. Hanging out with his best friends would be so much more fun than cleaning the freaking living room, but he wasn't going to give Haewon any more excuses to make his life even more miserable. 

"Sorry guys," Yeonjun apologized once he regained some composure, "but I'm afraid that won't be possible. As much as I'd love for you two to kidnap me, this place is guarded by two giant trolls and a massive, plastic dragon." Yeonjun narrated faking a sniffle and wiping away imaginary tears. "And the only way out is for me to get this done first. So… unfortunately, you will have to wait." Yeonjun 'mournfully' informed them, choking up a bit. 

"Come ooooooooooon. Please." Beomgyu begged, switching tactics and breaking character. 

Beomgyu begging? That's not something you see everyday. If Yeonjun hadn't known any better, he would have thought Beomgyu had been brainwashed or something. 

"Woah, Beomgyu begging? I never thought I'd see the day." Taehyun voiced Yeonjun's thoughts. 

"Shut it." Beomgyu snapped haughtily. 

Beomgyu's face is as red as a tomato, they just know it.

"Sorry guys," Yeonjun apologized sincerely through bouts of giggles, "but I can't right now. Maybe next time." 

"But-" Beomgyu and Taehyun chorused in unison before being interrupted by a shrill voice loud enough to be heard through the speakers from downstairs. 

"Yeonjun!" Haewon shouted from downstairs. "I'm going to my shiatsu appointment! Make sure everything's done before I get back! Remember spotless!" She cried, slamming the door as she went. 

And just like that the playful mood died.

"I have to go." Yeonjun sighed dejectedly "See you tomorrow." 

Ending the call he put his phone on the nightstand and sat in the silence of his room for a little while longer, looking up at the stars sticking to the ceiling one last time before getting up and doing as he was told. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! I'd like to thank you all for your patience. I hope it was worth the wait. Please do leave a comment and vote. Thank you. :]


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haewon orders Yeonjun to take a black envelope to Mr. Kim.

English

**Korean**

Cold air hit Yeonjun's feet, disturbing his peaceful slumber. He whined, disgruntled but made no attempt to wake up, stuffing his feet back under the covers. The attic was always cold, unlike his old room the attic didn't have a heater, but Yeonjun has long since been used to these living conditions. Since his alarm didn't go off yet, Yeonjun snuggled deeper into his covers and hugged his pillow close to his chest, returning to dreamland. 

"Yeonjun!" 

Ugh, what an irritating voice. He didn't remember Haewon being in his dream? Maybe it's shifted into a nightmare. 

"Yeonjun! Yeonjun! ANSWER ME NOW!"

Yeonjun jolted upright. He definitely heard it that time. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Yeonjun blearily glanced at the BT21 clock resting on his bedside table. 

"Oh shit-" Yeonjun's eyes widened at the time, all lingering thoughts of sleep thrown out the window. "It's 7:15!" Yeonjun yelps, jumping out of bed and rushing to get his things. 

School doesn't start until 8:00, but Yeonjun always heads to school by 6:45 so he can walk with Beomgyu and Taehyun. 

What is she waking him up for? She doesn't care if he makes it to school on time. 

"YEONJUN!" Haewon shouts, twice as loud as before through the intercom as if reminding him of her presence. 

Yeonjun presses the intercom button and readily asks, "Yes, Haewon?" 

"About time." She grumbles irritably. "You're lucky I don't ground you." Yeonjun rolls his eyes, but keeps his mouth shut grateful she can't see him through the intercom. 

Haewon doesn't wait for a response. "I'll be heading out in a moment to meet up with an important client." 

Okay? "And why does this concern me?" Yeonjun asked. Honestly, it's too early for this. 

"Watch your mouth you little pest." Haewon hissed. Oop- he hadn't realized he said that out loud. 

"Remember I own you." She warned. Yeonjun clenched his fists to his sides, but said nothing. He's learned that nothing good comes from arguing with his stepmother. 

"Prepare my breakfast before I go." Haewon ordered. "I need something light, I'm trying to watch my figure." She added haughtily. He could almost see her lifting her nose at him. 

"What figure?" Yeonjun mumbled to himself. The woman was pretty, but she was just a stick. 

"What?" Haewon challenged. "Speak up." 

"Will a Greek Yogurt be fine for you madam?" Yeonjun responds in an overly formal manner. Mockingly bowing for her even though he knows she can't see him. 

"Yes." Haewon replies. "I want bananas, strawberries, and granola with honey. That'll suffice." 

"Bananas, strawberries, granola, honey. Got it." Yeonjun repeats curtly, just trying to end this conversation as quickly as possible. 

"And," Haewon continues. Yeonjun nearly groans. "Call Eat Jin's for reservations for four people this afternoon. 12 am sharp. Under Haewon Choi." 

Ugh. Haewon Choi. Why did she have to use his surname? Why not her maiden name? 

"Got it?" She demanded. 

"Got it." Yeonjun echoed. "I will do that. Okay, Bye-" 

"I dismiss you Yeonjun." Haewon declares in that pretentious tone of hers, "And I'm not finished yet." 

What else could she want? Yeonjun is cutting it close as it is. There's no way he's walking to school now. Maybe he can still take the bus? 

"Send an envelope to the boutique. It's the black one with a golden seal on the kitchen counter. Mr. Kim will be there to pick it up at 8:30 am. Make sure he gets it." 

What?

"Did you say 8:30?" Yeonjun asks both himself and the women who can't be serious. 

"You have ears." She basically confirmed it for him. 

"But Haewon," Yeonjun exclaims, not caring if it sounded rude. "I have scho-" 

"And what does that have to do with me and my envelope huh?" Haewon questions, uncaring. "Make sure Mr. Kim gets those designs. Shoo. Do as you're told." 

"But-" 

Haewon ends the call on her terms, leaving Yeonjun with no choice, but to follow her orders if he doesn't want to lose his paychecks for the month. 

Frustrated with his circumstances Yeonjun lashes out in the only way he knows how. He sticks his middle finger at the intercom, and sighs resigned before getting ready. 

**꧁LINE BREAK꧂**

Yeonjun trudges down the stairs with slow deliberate steps. His things are ready to go and thankfully his step brothers have morning practice all week so he doesn't have to worry about running into them for a while. 

Yeonjun grabs Haewon's envelope off the kitchen counter as soon as he reaches the kitchen. 

"Breakfast," Yeonjun mumbles over a yawn. 

He shuffled over to the kitchen and got to work preparing Haewon's breakfast. 

He gets a 'light and fit' strawberry and banana flavored greek yogurt and a granola bar and leaves it on the counter where he picked up the envelope. 

"Bananas, strawberries, granola, and honey. Just like she asked." Yeonjun nods to himself satisfied for surely ruining her morning. 

Yeonjun already got money for breakfast so he didn't bother preparing anything for himself, but he did grab himself a granola bar just in case. 

He looks at time on the clock at the entrance before heading out the front door. 7:31. 

The coffee shop by the Boutique should be open by this time right? 

Yeonjun picks up the pace as he begins to think aloud to himself. 

"If I get to the bus station in time, it would take me 15 minutes to get to the Boutique by bus and another 30 minutes to get to school from there." 

He hope's the exchange won't take too long. He really can't afford to be missing school. 

A growl brings Yeonjun's thoughts to a sudden halt. 

What kind of a beast could make such a horrific sound? A second louder growl followed by a slight grumble answers that question. 

"Man, I'm hungry," Yeonjun whines holding the insatiable beast that is his stomach. "Maybe I should have eaten something before leaving…" 

**꧁LINE BREAK꧂**

"Fuck, it's closed." Yeonjun cursed when he saw the Closed sign hanging on the door. He sighed in resignation and slumped down in front of the coffee shop door dejectedly. 

"Well this sucks," Yeonjun groaned, and as if to prove his point his stomach growled loudly at him, begging for food. "At least I still have a granola bar in my backpack." 

Yeonjun got up and went straight to the boutique, ignoring his grumbling stomach. "It should last me the morning at least, better save it for later." 

The Boutique looks totally different from the beautiful place in Yeonjun's memories. He may not remember it clearly, but he knows it looked way more welcoming than the red and tacky gold thing it is now. 

Yeonjun unlocked the door and let himself in tossing his backpack over the front desk's desktop. "I should probably study for English class while I wait since I'm missing it to be here, but…" 

Yeonjun put his bag down on the desk and pulled out his phone instead of his English text book. "A few minutes on Twitter won't hurt." 

Thankfully he was already pretty good at English so it's not like he'd be behind if he missed a class, but it could look bad on his record if he skipped class… he'll have to fake feeling ill or something when he gets back. 

Opening Twitter he goes to his latest dance cover to see how it's doing. 

"Hm, 86 likes and 10 retweets," Yeonjun murmured, scrolling down to the comments. 

_😲😲cool moves_

_Thank you!_

_Oomf really tryna steal my heart like that._

_😘_

_idk why but yeonjun dancing and hitting every beat is so satisfying to watch_

_Thanks! I've been practicing for-_

Yeonjun jolted upright from the sudden knocking at the front door. He almost forgot he was here to deliver something. 

"Oh- uh. Coming!' Yeonjun exclaimed hastily pocketing his phone and stumbling out from behind the front desk towards the front door. 

Yeonjun opened the door to a well dressed man, smiling charismatically at him. His smile is so pretty and his dimples! Yeonjun suddenly wished he had dimples too. The man looked like he could be a model with a face like that. And those body proportions.

"Hello," the gentleman greets him. "I'm Namjoon Kim. Are you Mrs. Choi's personal assistant?" 

"What?" Yeonjun blurts out blankly reacting to the man's voice. "Yes- Wait! Uh, I mean NO- uh" Yeonjun gestures wildly waving his arms in front of him. "No wait, uh I mean I'm just… I'm just filling in." he finishes weakly vaguely gesturing towards his backpack on the front desk. 

God that was awkward. 

"Are you Mr. Kim?" Yeonjun asks in an attempt to save himself. 

The gentleman chuckles, eyes sparkling in amusement. "Yes, I am Mr. Kim. Namjoon Kim. Pleased to meet you." The gentleman, Namjoon, responded, extending his hand in greeting. 

Yeonjun gingerly returned the greeting, accepting the handshake. "I'm Yeonjun Choi, it's a pleasure to meet you too sir." 

Yeonjun hoped the man didn't notice how sweaty his palms were. Why was he so bad at socializing around attractive people?! 

Yeonjun just kind of stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do. Finally mustering the courage to look back up at the man he noticed him looking at Yeonjun expectantly, mirth dancing in his eyes. 

Wait- What was he supposed to do again? 

"Oh!" Yeonjun shouted unexpectedly, startling Mr. Kim. "Sorry, you're here for the envelope, right?" 

"Yes," Namjoon laughs, and after a pause he adds, "Do you happen to have it with you?" 

"Yes! Right. I'll get that." Yeonjun turns and walks mechanically back to his backpack at the front desk and gets it. 

He comes back just as stiffly and shoves the black envelope into Namjoon's hands. "Here you go." 

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Have a nice day sir." Yeonjun replies, leading his guest towards the door. 

'Please leave so I can rush to the bus station, replay this entire event, and freak out in peace.' 

"Actually," Namjoon interrupted Yeonjun's train of thought. "I have a question for you. If you don't mind me asking." 

"Huh? I mean- Yes? Do you need anything else sir?" Yeonjun almost screamed, but he kept his composure. 

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." 

Yeonjun mentally sighed in relief. 

"I was just wondering, how old are you?" Namjoon inquired. "You look a bit young to be out of school." 

Oh. 

"I am in school actually. High school to be exact." Yeonjun states, confirming Namjoon's suspicions. "I just work here part time." 

Mr. Kim: "Ah, I see." Namjoon acknowledges, smiling kindly. "Apologies for the intrusion, but why aren't you at school right now?" 

Yeonjun doesn't know how to respond to that. 

"I, well. Um, ha." Yeonjun laughs nervously, gesturing to nowhere in particular. "I just. Had to do this first. I'm going to school straight after! Swear!" Yeonjun threw his arms up in surrender. 

Why did he feel the need to justify himself? He didn't even want to be here. 

"It's okay, it's okay." Namjoon assured him, subconsciously unlocking parent mode. "I'm not judging you." 

Yeonjun looked away in embarrassment, reminding Namjoon a bit of his son when he's embarrassed. His heart went out to this boy. 

"Would you like me to give you a ride there? What school do you go to?" Namjoon forgot Yeonjun had just met him and wasn't a friend of his son's." 

"NO!" Yeonjun blurted and quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. "I mean, no thank you. I'm fine, but thank you for the concern." 

Aside from the man being a total stranger, Yeonjun couldn't go anywhere with him after that trainwreck. Great Yeonjun, you just embarrassed yourself in front of him. Again! 

"Ah, yes." For the first time since he has met him Namjoon looked like he genuinely did not know what to do. His ears were bright red and he didn't make direct eye contact which Yeonjun was secretly thankful for. "I suppose I should get going." 

"Yes. Um, have a nice day!" Yeonjun blurted out, gesturing towards the door. 

Namjoon hovered by the doorway and thanked him before leaving. "Thank you. You too." 

… Is he gone? 

"Oh my God, that was so awkward!" Yeonjun exclaimed once he was sure Namjoon wouldn't come back. 

Oh shit! He almost forgot- the bus! 

"I can get to the bus in 10 minutes if I leave right now and hopefully make it to school by second period." 

He can still make it if he sprints.

**As a little extra for the wait here is a deleted scene from one of my many drafts.**

**EXTRA on NOTES**

**DELETED SCENE**

**Mr. Kim's POV**

Mr. Kim returns to his car with a heavy heart. 

He sighs wistfully as he looks down at the envelope. 

Mr. Kim hopes the young boy didn't drop out of highschool for work. Things will only be harder for him if he doesn't finish his schooling. The kid looks like he'd be in his final year of highschool. That's going to be tough to handle. 

Mr. Kim would know, he was also like that when he was younger. 

*ring ring* 

Mr. Kim looked at the caller id to see his husband's calling. 

Mr: Kim: Hello, Jin. How's my lovely husband doing? 

Jin: Namjoon! Did you get the designs? 

Namjoon: Right here. 

Jin: Great. Now get your butt back here and eat. I know you skipped breakfast. So I'm making you something. 

Namjoon: Aww, what did I do to deserve such a loving husband. ♡ 

Seokjin: I know. I know. I'm amazing. Now hurry up or I'm eating without you! 

Namjoon: I'll see you there, bye Love. ♡ 

Seokjin: See you soon. ♡

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hello! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. I rewrote this chapter so many times, that eventually I just decided, "Fuck it. It's good enough," and I posted this. Thank you for waiting all this time. 2020 has been hectic. Stay safe in 2021 everyone!**

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Slow updates.
> 
> Please vote and comment.


End file.
